It is not uncommon for patients to experience damaged or defective bones. Bone damage at the knee joint, such as damage caused by osteoarthritis, is particularly common. Osteoarthritis is a disease of the cartilage present at the knee joint. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative process in which cartilage present between the tibia and femur erodes. As this cartilage erodes, contact between the tibia and femur bones occurs, causing damage to the tibia and femur.
When only one side of the knee is affected, the damaged portions of the tibia and/or femur are removed and each are replaced with implants, conventionally referred to as a uni-compartmental knee replacement. With respect to the tibia, the superior articulating surface of the tibia bone is conventionally prepared to receive the implant by resecting a substantial portion of the superior articulating bone surface, including all of, or a substantial portion of, the bone rim at the periphery of the articulating surface. However, it is desirable to preserve as much of the peripheral rim of the articulating surface as possible for a variety of reasons, such as to better secure the implant to the tibia and to maintain the structural integrity of the tibia. With respect to the femur, the inferior articulating surface is conventionally prepared by resecting a substantial portion of the inferior articulating surface. However, it is desirable to preserve as much of the natural femur as possible to, for example, maintain the structural integrity of the bone. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and/or method for resecting the superior articulating surface of the tibia and the inferior articulating surface of the femur to preserve as much of the natural bone surfaces as possible.